Furniture construction



p 1951 N. M. WEISS 2,568,527

FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 19, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I. 9 2

INVI-iNTOR I NATHAN M. WEISS ATTORNEYS Sept. 18, 1951 N. M. WEISSFURNITURE CON STRUCTION 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 19, 1949 FIG. 6.

ATTORNEYS N. M. WEISS 2,568,527

FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION Sept. 18, 1951 Filed Sept. 19, 1949 3Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR NATHAN M. WEISS ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 18,1951 FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION Nathan M. Weiss, Compton, Calif., assignorto Cali-Quilt Furniture Mfg. 00., Lynwood, Calif.

Application September 19, 1949, Serial No. 116,501

My present invention has to do with furniture construction and has as anobject the provision of an improved article of furniture such as asettee or divan.

A further object is the provision of an improved 3 Claims. (G1. 155-184)type of furniture construction which is partioularly well suited formaking divans of the type which is convertible into a full sized bedwhen desired.

A long existing shortcoming of conventional settee or divan constructionis that the padding tion the different layers going to make up thepadding element tend to shift relative to each other and relative to thespring.

It is an object of my invention to overcome those shortcomings.

It is a further object to provide a novel type of divan capable of beingreadily converted into a comfortable full sized bed and wherein I amable to employ a single unitary pad element for both the relativelymovable seat and back rest portions.

A still further object is to provide a settee or divan constructionwherein the upholstering or cover sheet, the padding layer and the innerlayer are formed into a unitary assembly stitched together by acontinuous lock-stitch.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

Without intending thereby to limit the broader scope of my invention asdefined by the appended claims, I shall now describe the invention inone of its presently preferred embodiments, for which purpose I shallrefer to the drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a divan or settee made in accordance withmy invention;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1, but showing the divanconverted into a bed;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the several layersor sheets constituting the pad element; said sheets being arrangedinversely to the order in which they appear in the finished product;

Fig. 4 is a perspective of the pad in inverted position;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-section taken on line 5--5 of Fig. 4, butshowing the pad element in position to be mounted on the springassembly;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a day bed or studio couch embodying amodified form of my invention;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged perspective View illustrating the several layersor sheets constituting the pad element of the structure shown in Fig. 8;and

Fig. 10 is an enlarged sectional View of the pad element used onconnection with the structure shown in Fig. 8.

Referring now to the drawings, I show at 5 a settee or divan of the typewhich is convertible into a full sized bed, as shown in Fig. 2, andcomprising a base 1, seat element 8, back rest 9 and 'side members Ill.

The seat and back rest elements each have a wooden base frame [5, seeFig. 6, to which the spring element It is fastened as by staples ll, orin any other suitable manner. The spring element may be conventional inform and comprises a wire frame Ifia carrying coils [6b.

In Fig. 3 I show the sheets or layers of material comprising the padelement used in my construction, those being, an outer layer is ofupholstering fabric forming the cover sheet, an intermediate layer I9 ofcotton batting or other suitable padding material, and a bottom sheet 28of muslin, burlap or other suitable material.

I superimpose these sheets, one on the other, in the order named, andsecure them together, preferably by a continuous quilting lock stitch2], to form a single, unitary pad element 22 of a size to serve both asthe pad element for the seat and as the pad element for the back rest.

As best shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, I secure to the pad element 22, apair of superimposed flexible stretcher strips of fabric or the like,denoted thereof; and then I make a lock stitch 25 extending transverselyof the pad element, which stitching not only secures the edge portionsof the stretcher strips to the pad element, but also extends through thepad element to draw the inner layer 20 and the outer layer l8 towardeach other, compressing the padding layer It therebetween to provide ahinge area 220 at the intersection of that portion 22a of the padelement which covers the seat portion 8 of the divan and that portion22b which covers the back rest portion 9.

As best shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the marginal I provide a slit 31 in eachof said sheets, extend ing outwardly from the ends of the stretcherstrips. Thus, the marginal portionsof both the inner and outer sheets orlayers are securely anchored, in stretched condition, to the=-wo o d.

frame, while the padding layer is between and stitched to said layers.In-my said construction, it is impossible for the sheets or layers toshift relative to each other or relative to the spring element; and thestresseswhich the outer sheet must bear alone in conventionalconstruction, are shared by the inner sheet; ,It will be apparent fromthe freg0i1 ig desc riptionjthat a single unitarynpad element covers Iclaim:

1. In an article of furniture, a pair of rectangular frames disposed inside edge to side edge juxtaposition for relative swinging movement,coil springs mounted uprightly on said frames, a single upholstering padelement overlying both said frames and resiliently supported upon saidsprings, said pad element being stretched tautly over said springs andhaving its side and end marginal portions secured to said frames, andtension means between the contiguous edges of said frames drawing saidpad element toward said frames againstthe pressure of said springsalonga transverse line medially between the ends both'the seatportionandjthe back rest portion s of the divan, the pad element beingsuitably hinged transversely .along' its middle to facilitate swinginthe'back rest upright when the device is being used as a divan,and,-toswing-itinto horizontal position alongside, the seatportion, when itjsdesired to c0nvert the device into a bed. The stretcher strips securelyanchor the pad element tothewoodframes against the pressure of thespring element, drawing not only the cover sheet but also the bottomsheet and Dadding toward thewood frames along a transverse, lineintermediate the seat and back rest portions. By securing one of thestretcher strips 24,, by means of, tacks 2], to the seat frameand theother stretcher strip 23, by means of-tacks '28, to the backrest frame,the "relative swinging movement of those frames does notimposeanystressnpon the pad element.- "The stitching of the stretcher stripsto the pad elementisdone insuch manner that no direct pull on thestitchingjsexertedi' v 1 4 I Inl figs. 8, 9 and 10, I show a modified"form embodying the general principle of the structure previouslydescribed, but with a slight variation.

' Here, the. seat portion 8' of Y a conventional day bed; comprises'aspring unit 16 and a wood frame I5 in substantially the sameunitary-structure as in the 'firstpreferred embodiment, except, however,that in this arrangementthe unitary pad 122? differs in that it is madeto cover-only the seat portion and hence thepreviouslymentionedstretcher strips are eliminated; The pad comprisesthe sheets or layers -l8-',-l9 and- 20, all similar .to those in thepreviously-described form. The quilting stitching -2 If is also appliedin the manner prevously described and the application-of'theunitarypad'to the spring frame is the same except that-in this case all fouredges are applied as shown in Fig. '7.

'being secnred along its opposite; side edge portion to the other ofsaid frames. v

2 In an article of furniture, apair-of frames disposed-in side edge toside edge juxtaposition for relative swinging movement, springs carriedby each frame, a pad elementoverlyingand resiliently supported on saidsprings, said pad-element comprising top and bottom flexible sheets andapadding material therebetween, the marginal portions of said sheetsextendingbeyond saidp'adding material andbeing secured to said frames,and tension meanscornprising a pair of flexible strips secured alongoneofitheir side edge portions to said pad element along ;a;tran sversemedial line; one of said strips being securedalong its opposite sideedge portion to -on e-of-said frames and the other of said strips beingsecured alongits opposite side edgeportion to one'other qfsaid f e sa dst ip b e'p a d hs maintain said pad element taut along its medial YsrwQ t m i: 1 r I 3.; Thearticle of claim? wherein said sheets and paddingmaterial comprising said pad element are secured together by quiltingstitching a d wher n sa d u t g s i n e ur n sideedge portion of saidstrips to said pad eleappearances :CITED llhe references are of recordthe file of this vpatent:

, UNITED STATE S i A'rriiq'rs Nfame V 7 Date V Less-p62: Witham, Jr.Feb; 25, 1919 2,233,986 Leech Mar. 4, 1941 2,291,677, Ba kin Aug, .4,1942 2,297,526 Bayer et a1. Sept. 29, 1942 U FOREIGN PATENTS NumberCountry 7 Date; 73 ,1 05 Gr at Br tain P June 6, 932 a

